WT Business Beat

By Nick Wakeman

Louis Berger fights for shot at incumbent contract

It’s one thing to be in a competition to keep an incumbent contract, but it is something else entirely to not have the chance to defend your turf.

That’s the situation Louis Berger has found itself in.

It has held a contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency to provide computer-aided drafting and engineering support services since at least 2014.

But when it came time to recompete the contract, DISA made it a small business set-aside competition. That’s a problem for Morristown, N.J.-based Louis Berger, which reports its revenue at around $1 billion.

Rather than walk away, the company filed a protest March 27 with the Government Accountability Office. March 27 also is the same day DISA released the solicitation for the set-aside contract.

I’m not privy to the details of Louis Berger’s argument and so far the company has declined to comment. I’m sympathetic to their predicament but from tracking protests, my gut tells me that they might have a hard time convincing GAO that DISA is acting unreasonably.

A decision is expected on July 5.

DISA uses the contract for computer-aided drafting, project management, and developing technical requirements for environmental services and professional engineering services.

According to Deltek, there is a second incumbent, GEM Companies Inc. but they are a small business so it is likely they can bid on the contract.

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